LUANG PRABANG, 21 NOVEMBER 2016 – AirAsia reiterates its commitment towards the Asean market with the inaugural flight of its brand new route connecting Kuala Lumpur directly to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Luang Prabang in Laos today, and is the first and only airline to operate direct flights between both cities.

The inaugural flight, AK562 landed with an encouraging flight load of 98%, and on board the flight were Ms Aireen Omar, CEO of AirAsia Berhad; Dato’ Hj Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director, Production Division, Tourism Malaysia and Spencer Lee, Head of Commercial for AirAsia Berhad along with Malaysian media.

All guests on board along with the VIPs in the flight were welcomed with a water cannon salute, along with a traditional Lao performance at the airport upon landing. H.E. Dato’ Than Tai Hing, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Lao PDR, H.E. Dr. Bouakhong Namavong, Vice Governor of Luang Prabang, on behalf of the Governor of Luang Prabang, H.E. Mrs. Khamphao Ernthavanh, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR, H.E. Mr. Ounethouang Kaophanh, Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Lao PDR and H.E. Mr. Inthanousorn Sisanonh, Deputy Director General of Department of Civil Aviation of the Lao PDR were present to receive guests from this significant maiden AirAsia flight.

Commenting on the brand new intra-Asean connectivity, Aireen Omar said, “We are very happy to be the first and only airline to connect Luang Prabang to Kuala Lumpur directly. We are also pleased to be the airline that connects the people of Laos to two of the main cities in Asean; Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur which are both major AirAsia hubs. From there, Laotians are able to connect to over 120 AirAsia destinations throughout 27 countries. As a Truly Asean airline, we want to further champion connectivity to second and third-tier cities, and help to grow the market together.”

The direct connectivity between Kuala Lumpur – Luang Prabang is AirAsia Group’s 70th intra-Asean route connecting all ten Asean countries, as well as the airline’s fourth route into Laos after Kuala Lumpur – Vientiane, Bangkok – Vientiane and Bangkok – Luang Prabang.

During the inaugural flight celebration event and press conference which was held at Sofitel Luang Prabang, an award-winning heritage hotel blending French colonial and Lao style, the airline also announced promotional all-in-fares for the brand new route starting from RM99* one-way, available for booking online at www.airasia.com and the AirAsia Mobile App from now until 27 November 2016, with the travel period from now until 30 April 2017.

A UNESCO World Heritage city, Luang Prabang is one of the most alluring places in Southeast Asia known for its Golden-roofed Wats, saffron-clad monks, faded Indo-chinese villas and exquisite Gallic cuisine and the scenic 18-hole golf course along the Mekong River. This former capital is located at the Northern Central of Laos, approximately 300km North of Vientiane at the sacred confluence of the Mekong River and the Nam Khan River.

Visitors can marvel at the stunning ‘Tree of Life’ mosaic set at Wat Xieng Thong, partake in the traditional alms giving with the locals, swim in the spectacular azure pool at the Kuang Si Waterfalls and savour Khao Soi – a popular local noodle soup dish that can be found at food stalls running along Luang Prabang streets.

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